Rafiuddin Raz

Raz is primarily a ghazal writer.[2]

Raz is noted for repeatedly playing with the Urdu word aa'ina [mirror in English] in his poetry, and integrating it into his work in different ways. Poet and reviewer Afsar Mahpuri notes in his article, "Rafiuddin Raaz – A dreaming poet," the "focal position and importance" that the mirror has been awarded over time, and presents the following partial list of couplets, containing the word aa'ina, by Raz.[3]

Shafeeq Ali Khan calls him "a modern poet in every respect," and stating that "his feelings, emotions, observations and experiences are not traditional – they are, rather, a reflection of his own self and personality."[4] Mehshar Badaiwani has called his work "a living example" of meaningful poetry, showing Raz's "poetical greatness."[5]

Shan ul Haq Haqqi has written that, "Rafiuddin Raz's poetry contains both beauty off thought and beauty of style... [and is] successful throughout the body of Urdu poetry,"[6] while Aslam Farrukhi claims that "Poetry, itself, has picked Raz for its expression."[5] Similarly, Athar Hashmi speaks of finding "the features of life" in Raaz's work,[4] and Shabnam Romani of his "uniqueness", and his "eloquent [use of] language and civilized tones," saying that, "the raz (secret) is that Raz's poetry is new!"[5]

Raz's ghazal has received widespread applause: Professor Najmi Siddiqui calls it "a fragrant puff of air that, having touched the fertile shores of classical tradition, gives life and lesson to the reader"[4] and Mushaffiq Khwaja finds it "a custodian of the highest traditions of Urdu ghazal" which has "not only adhered to tradition, but taken it forward."[5] Similarly, Hafeez Taib has praised him for opening "new horizons" for the ghazal, and saying that "his verses seem to beat with one's own pulse."[5]

Raz is often compared to different Urdu poetry greats, including Ghalib, Meer and Yagana. In his article, Afkaar ki Taazgi [The Freshness of Thoughts], modern-day poet Afsar Mahpuri draws a parallel between Raz and classical, ghazal poet, Yagana, saying that "some of Raz's verses are close to Yagana's voice" because he "has not begun his poetry with romantic exaggerations, in which countless poets waste their lives."[7]

Dr. Rasheed Nisaar, on the other hand, compares Raz to Persian-language poet Bedil and one of Urdu poetry's greatest philosophers, Ghalib, saying that Raz "possesses the same style of thought and beauty of narration as Bedil and Ghalib."[8]

Raz was born in Begusarai, India.[1] His father Fariduddin Baig's family belonged to Darbhanga, and his mother Hajra's to Begusarai, both districts of the state Bihar.[15]

He attended BPHE School, Begusarai before switching to the Muslim High School Lehrya Sarai but, after his parents separated in 1945, was sent to live with his father's elder brother, Hameeduddin Baig.[15] Unfortunately for him, Hameeduddin was not interested in educating him, and Raz had to work as a conductor and, subsequently, driver, in Hameeduddin's transport company. He continued, however, to persist in juggling his studies alongside the job, and finally passed his Inter-Commerce Exams from Quiad-e-Azam College, Dhaka.[15]

In 1951, when riots were taking place in the aftermath of the Partition of India, Raz migrated to Dhaka, then a part of East Pakistan, and declared himself a Pakistani.[15]

After the proclamation of Bangladesh, Raz was a prisoner of war from 1971 to 1973.[15] He migrated to Karachi as soon as he was released, but found himself facing much poverty. He switched between several jobs in an attempt to earn, from tutoring kids to working as a government employee. He eventually started a business with his commanding officer, Colonel Aakil Abbas Rizvi, and established himself as a self-made and financially stable man.[15]

He married Noshaba Khatoon in 1964, and has six children – two daughters named Naheed Anjum and Ambreen, and four sons named Tariq, Rehan, Saqib, and Waqiuddin – with her. Currently, Raz holds a master's degree in General History, and has said that, more than anything else, it was an act meant to provide "moral support" to his children.[15]